Passengers departing the UK, and aged 12 to 15, are exempted from the UK Air Passenger Duty (APD) Tax, effective 1 March 2016. We are currently updating our system to reflect this change. Passengers booking online can request an APD Tax refund by contacting the local reservations office or Global Contact Centres.

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Moscow, Russia

Moscow guide

As the former capital of the Soviet Union, Moscow has undergone huge economic and political transformations. Fortunately for visitors, it's now the centre of a cultural renaissance with new design hubs, chic bars and restaurants springing to life.

Things to do

Things to do

We've chosen the must-see highlights of this fantastic city.

Do

Nikitsky Gate Theatre

This intimate gem is one of the best places to see plays by great authors like Pasternak or Chekhov in the original Russian. Their trademark weekly summer show comes with beakers of vodka, which means that no language will be a barrier to a great evening.

Try authentic Russian dishes with a French twist in a refurbished 19th-century mansion. Bookshelves full of leather-bound volumes, smart service and great food make this an enduringly popular, if pricey, option. In summer you can dine on the roof.

Just across from Anton Chekhov's house is Russia's oldest zoo, which began in the 17th century as a royal menagerie. You can visit the night house, with bats flickering in the half-light, or the terrarium where alligators float and grin beguilingly.

Grably is an award-winning chain of self-service restaurants, which means you can sample good, authentic Russian food without breaking the bank. The food, including delicacies such as sorrel soup or walnut and aubergine rolls, is fresh and the décor is bright and colourful.

From panoramic Sparrow Hills you can stroll all the way to Gorky Park, not far from Tolstoy's house. The park was transformed last year from a rusting Soviet fairground into an ecological utopia with bikes and boats for hire, hammocks and free Wi-Fi.

Don't be misled by the antique furnishings in this bar and café above the Mayakovsky Theatre – the evening crowd is young and lively. Cocktails are a speciality; try a lychee liqueur with Galliano and vermouth, if you can get to the bar.

On a bluff overlooking the Moscow River, the Church of the Ascension is one of Moscow's most beautiful religious structures. The surrounding park is perfect for an afternoon stroll, where you can pass the reconstruction of a 17th-century imperial palace, surrounded by gardens and apple orchards.

This art gallery has everything from icons and imperial portraits to poignant landscapes and epic recreations of the past. There are paintings of famous Russian writers too: Pushkin looking Byronic in tartan, a depressed Dostoevsky or Tolstoy in his smock.

For an ironic take on traditional Russian gifts, try this quirky chain of shops specialising in handmade jewelry, lamps or notebooks, often made from recycled nostalgic objects: miniature Soviet petrol pumps or even clocks made from old caviar tins.

A trip to this two-kilometre wonderland of gardens, lakes and pavilions provides a showcase of Soviet architecture at its most extravagant: gold fountains, mosaics and murals. There are museums, cafés, cinemas, a circus and – when in season – an ice rink.

A night of acrobats, trapeze artists, tigers, elephants and giant porcupines is one never forgotten. Close to Sparrow Hills, where Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita ends, the circus is housed in a domed building – a distinctive Russian institution.

It's worth the entrance fee just to see the fabulous décor inside this ornate brick building next to the Kremlin. Each hall is covered with motifs that suit the exhibits from stone-age skulls to silver age ceramics.

Passengers departing the UK, and aged 12 to 15, are exempted from the UK Air Passenger Duty (APD) Tax, effective 1 March 2016. We are currently updating our system to reflect this change. Passengers booking online can request an APD Tax refund by contacting the local reservations office or Global Contact Centres.

Booking of more than six passengers is currently not available online. Please contact your local reservations office.